Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-05-15
HIS STORY.
rHH STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF An
INVENTOR.



Always held in midsummer, when the
weather is bot and sultry. A great,
barn. like building, with narrow gale
ries running around above, and cob
webs hanging from tho afters Thou
sands o! people busting in and out,
asking questions, disputing over the
state of the crops, and quarrelling over
premiums. Little boys AMI biz boys
hawking peanuts and lemonade; obil-
dren CRYING from the heat men sop
ming their faces with their handker-
chiefs: the air recling with the smell
of machinery, hot cakes, preserves, and
over.ripe fruit: everybody hot AMI
miserable, and the exhibitors all Won
dcring why tie committee couldn't
have fixed the time moEth or SO car
her or later.
was no rushing businessman, or
great stock-raiser, or thriving horticul-
turist. Only plain farmer. Shiitless,
the neighbors called me, and wondered
why Jane Markham had thrown over
Tom Jones TO marry me. Tom WAS a
pushing, enterprising young man. with
nice business in town, plenty o,
money, good looks, and a bright,
taking way with him. J. James Brown.
was almost middlc-aged when j thst
saw her; old for my age, too, with a
sober way OF looking at things that
came, perhaps, from the hsrdships
had always known. Shy Of women,
too, and with nothing to offer my wife
but a shabby little house mile out OF
town. with q few acres of good grain
land about it, and pair of hands that
had never been soiled by a dishonest
deed and were willing to work to the
bone for the woman l loved.
And | did work, but not i'll way that
told. We got along well at first, sell
ing our small crops at fair prices, rlis-
ing chickens and sending eggs to mar
ket, with now and then firkin of but
ter 10 spare living close, with no luxu-
ries and few comforts to speak OF, but
setting out young fruit-tTeos and train
ing vines about the house until it began
70 take on n slightly look, and We had
as happy little home "a anybody for
miles around.
Until our second baby came-the
FIRST had been boy. but this was a
girl-up to this time / had been tolera-
bly, content TO keep on as | was going
and build up slowly and surely for the
future. But looking at that frail, deli
cate little creature and thinking what
helpless creatures girls are in this world
ANYHOW, and how bad it would be if
anything happened to me, made me
wish / could have some quick, splendid
stroke of luck that would set us all
ahead in the world, beyond chance of
want. And then it was that a notion
came into my head. had always had
a laundering after machinery since /
was boy, and knack for
putting things together. | was out
in the field, | remember, tie SIN blazing
down upon me, moving grain with al
old-fashioned scythe, and thinking of
all the labor before me in binding it UP
into bundles, when the idea struck me.
Thinks ], If only some machine could
he planned out now that would cut the
grain and lay it in heaps ready for
binding, what lot OF work it would
save. Yes; and be a fortune, too, to
any man. Perhaps one might construct
something that would bind the grain at
the same time. But how TO 90 about
it? | drew a stump OF pencil from
my pocket, took out little account
book that l always carried, and there,
i'll the broiling bot sun, began to draw
plan OF the machine.
Wei, TO make g long story short, |
worked four years upon it, day and
night. Often and often I've got mp in
the middle Of the night and gone out
into the little shop where | worked, and
studied upon the thing, or put bits OF
brass and tin together to see how they d
work. -Four years | kept at it, and the
weeds grew all over the place. the fence
broke down and cattle got III, and
everything WAS wei on the road
TO ruin. TO finish up my model
and got the patent put through
| mcrtpaeCd the place, and then,
when it WAS all done and the pat
ent secured (tlis VAS late n the h'tiesl.
/ found there was another man are 4dY
in the field with a machine that dii the
same work, and 1t was 81 opcu question
whether his or iaine VAS the best. Ihi5
VS. what had come down TO the state
iair for. Both our machines were to
he taken out into the field Tor test
irial, and upon whether won or failed
depended al the results Of fJur years
labor.
l lived among a very practical set OF
people, and you may readily hei'e7e
that hadn't friend or neighDor blt
what had pronounced me "pOor
stick" long before this. Everybody
but my wife; she always had patient
smile and a cheering word. though /
don't believe she ever had a grain OF
faith in ny success. Sine came out on
the porch when J started of, Rob by
her side, and Ellie, the little girl, In
bersIrns She was wee creature was
Ellie, small for her aye. but like dove
IN lcr Ways. Size stretched out her
arms to hug anil kiss ne. As | took
her 1oiic,A that her poor little shoes
were igirly isli.D2 Ia p;s.es.
PAPA. Get tiiie some new shoes,
said the cli.l, smiling up into my face.
Poor lit'lc dear. The shame OF it
s;y wI,o hadn decent dress TO her
back. and Rob had gone barefooted
sipce ,ally sfiing. looked at Jane,
and II sel med to Aa for moment that
quick spark of indignation shone IN
her eve.
"Yes, YES, papa viii get Ellie some
shoes, ! said hastily; then put b II
down aud started of. At Che gate
turned an instant and looked back. and
there still stood my wife in her faded
pint dress. Bob barefooted and ragged,
and Ellie in her shabby little shoes.
Even As ! stood there looking felt q
sbol.. Quick throb OF pain, like
Ilcsaee Of the future, and something
warned rye that memory had received
the picture, 10 fling it pack, barbed
with anguish, in years TO come.
We'll, as l was saying, there L was II
the tate folk in charge OF my machine
ton,timos showing 1t off TO people
somo,imcs listening to my rival, whC
had the section adjoining mine, as h
cried up the merits Of his invention
The contest Was not 20 come off unti
he Last cay OF the fair; so, to while
nway the time and keep rs far as posi-
bic from the man who threatened h
ruin my chances OF success. / neigh